I was born in Scotland, moved to London when I was 5 years old and have lived here for 30 years now. My feelings towards London are rather like I imagine they would be towards a husband (which I don’t have - yet!) after the same time period: I love it to death despite its annoying little foibles.

I have written poetry for as long as I can remember. My mum tells me that I would come out with sudden ‘masterpieces’ when I was very young. Luckily for me, she wrote these down. I also made up stories - one of these was called ‘Silly Billy The Mummy’. I can’t remember this story but can imagine it from the title.

After getting an English degree from Sussex University, I have various secretarial jobs which, as I think most members of the ‘rat race’ know, seemed to sap most of my energy, not to mention my creativity! My writing was put on hold for a few years.

At the start of last year I had to leave work for health reasons. In many ways this was the best thing that could have happened. I ‘discovered’ writing again and have had several poems published over the last year by Forward Press. ‘Finding’ Forward Press has been a wonderful experience. Seeing some of my work in print and now getting into the Top 100 Poets of 2005 has given me a great deal of confidence.

My main interests/inspirations as far as poetry goes are varied - Philip Larkin, T S Elliot, Louis MacNeice, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Louise Glück, Frieda Hughes and Sharon Olds, and many others.

My poem ‘The Truth’ was written in great anger after reading an interview with a particular poet about his poet wife and his next relationship. Writing it certainly ‘exorcised’ any anger I felt and I would say that it captures a passing ‘feeling’ that went as quickly as it came and that I found it a rather disturbing poem after I had written it.